More Than Just A Pretty Bunny...!

In addition to traditional quilting, art quilting, surface embroidery, counted thread techniques and many other types of needlework, I also do some types of mending and completions. Many times someone will have an heirloom piece that needs just a few final touches which were never added. In this case, the above picture illustrates those final touches. So, she's more than just a pretty bunny...

She's also a just-completed job! Meet Miss Bunny, the treasure of a neighbor of mine. She had no face, and the fastenings had come off the back of her smock. Poor Miss Bunny needed some real help!

Miss Bunny's eyes were done in sepia brown backstitch, with salmon pink French knots for the centers. Her nose is chainstitched in black, approximately 12 stitches to the inch to be dense enough yet provide some dimension. I am fortunate to have some of my grandmother's sewing stash, courtesy of my wonderful mother, so I used three tiny snap fixtures which fitted perfectly with the ambience of the whole doll. And, she is seated on one of my Texas Iron heart-backed cafe chairs for her "photo session"!

I'm in the middle of finishing a slew of projects slated to be done by Thanksgiving. So please stay tuned and come back soon for more pix and posts!

With One Voice Final

For my "With One Voice" piece, I chose Thomas Merton:

This quilt is in memory of and in honor of Thomas Merton, Brother Louis, a Benedictine monk and writer. He spoke to the many people in the different belief systems with his one voice through his writing. He believed in harmony: Despite the singing of many notes (voices), suddenly one hears only the one note (melody). Living primarily as a hermit, he advocated in a sermon to the birds, "be what you are: be birds." In other words, enter into dialogue, have mutual understanding, and accept each other as individuals within respective groups.

I am very honored to have had the permission and approval of The Thomas Merton Center, to whom I will be donating the piece.

Breaking Traditions Piece Progress...

The birds pictured in my last post (below) will be cut out and appliqued onto my piece for Breaking Traditions 2008, the theme for which this year is "With One Voice". Please check my other blog for actual progress pictures as I don't want to bore everyone with too much repetition! The piece has to be sent in time to be received by Saturday, August 30, so the picture of it in final will be posted, with an explanation of my subject and why I chose to portray it as I did, by Wednesday or Thursday.

Please come back soon!

Birds of a Feather...

These two birds are an experiment in eyelet, silk and sheer. Silks courtesy of Hand-Dyed Fibers.

As a dear friend commented to me, the eyelet stitch does look like polka-dots (*grin*), but that's the camera's fault, not mine...really!!!

Carrying Over ...

In my other blog, I posted about this little medallion. The Battenburg lace is a new endeavor for me -- generally, in the laces department I concentrate on needlelace and pulled-thread techniques. The SRE (Silk Ribbon Embroidery) materials are courtesy of Vikki Clayton at Hand-Dyed Fibers.

You'll remember that fabrics, fibers and founds are what I do. This idea was poking at my thoughts processes, so I decided to try it. For a first attempt, I don't think it's too bad -- you get the idea that it's a medallion shape. The reason I'm publishing it here, also, is because it's beginning a tie-in point that I've been kicking around for a while, so I wanted to present it.

These types of ideas will continue to be shared here, as well as my various pieces as they come off exhibition.

Please continue to share my walk along the circuitous and tumultuous path of fiber art discovery and let me know how you interpret my work. All comments are most welcome!

Disclaimer, sort of!

Well, some of the stuff on which I'm currently working can't be shown until after November 2008 due to exhibit commitments. Although, actually I'm so thrilled to have these opportunities! Do take a moment, however, and click on the 'Breaking Traditions' button there in my sidebar and view some of the lovely work that others in the group have done recently. More later!!

Still Working...

Still working on items to be posted here...but if you go visit my other blog, Ever Embellished, you can get a peek of what I'm doing to fill in waiting time while things dry, etc.

Keep exploring! Keep searching! And I'll keep working and writing!

Well, here's to opening up shop!!

Keep posted! Keep sane! And I'll keeping working and writing.